Spotify has unveiled its yearly “Loud and Clear” report, showcasing remarkable milestones in the music streaming sector, with a specific emphasis on Canada. In 2024, Spotify disbursed more than $10 billion to the worldwide music industry, setting a record for the largest payout in a single year by any music retailer. Canadian musicians have significantly profited, accumulating almost CAD $460 million in royalties, nearly doubling their income since 2019. Over the last five years, Canadian music revenue has surged by 129%, achieving CAD $909 million in 2024.
The report indicates that nearly 1,500 artists received more than $1 million in royalties from Spotify alone in 2024, with 80% of these artists lacking a song in the Spotify Global Daily Top 50 chart. Canadian artists have excelled on a global scale, with 94% of their Spotify earnings originating from outside Canada. This illustrates Canada’s position as a leading music exporter, with Canadian music being listened to in cities around the globe, including Jakarta, Osaka, Melbourne, London, São Paulo, Berlin, Mexico City, and Seoul.
Canada’s bilingual characteristics have also aided in the prosperity of its music industry, with French music experiencing a 15% increase in global Spotify royalties. Patrick Watson’s “Je te laisserai des mots” emerged as the most listened-to francophone track on Spotify worldwide in 2024, and it is the first French-language song to exceed 1 billion streams.
Canadian women have been pivotal in music production, with their global streams on Spotify having doubled since 2020. In 2024, 40% of Canadian artists earning over CAD $1 million on Spotify were women or belonged to mixed-gender groups. Xenia Manning, director of Global Music Policy at Spotify, highlighted the diversity and international leadership of Canadian music, emphasizing the critical role of exports in supporting Canada’s music industry.
